Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Newport-Mesa Unified


At a glance
437thof 1,543 California districts▼ 1
Better than 71% of California districts
2985 Bear St. Bldg. A
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-4300
·(714) 424-5000·All California district rankings →
Statewide performance 2017–2025
2025: better than 71.7% of districts
32
Schools
17,540
Students
7
5-star schools
Top rankedEarly College High21st of 2,162 California high schools
Biggest riser
Pomona Elementary up 972 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Back Bay High 8.1 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
3★
2★
1★
2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The Newport-Mesa Unified school district serves the coastal communities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa with 31 schools spanning grades K-12, ranking in the top third of California districts overall.

Academic performance varies widely, with standout schools like Early College High (ranked in the 99th percentile statewide) and Corona del Mar High leading at the high school level, while elementary schools such as Newport Coast Elementary and Roy O. Andersen Elementary also achieve top-tier rankings. In contrast, schools like Whittier Elementary and Wilson Elementary face significant academic challenges and rank in the lower percentiles.

The district outperforms state averages in graduation rates and test scores, but mathematics is a common challenge, particularly at several high schools. Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue at alternative programs like Back Bay High, while most traditional schools have strong attendance. The performance gap between the district's two middle schools, Horace Ensign Intermediate and Charles W. Tewinkle Middle, is also notable.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

Diagnostics